Melanoma

What Is Melanoma?

Melanoma (pronounced: mel-eh-NOE-muh) is a type of cancer
that begins in a melanocyte (pronounced: meh-LAN-uh-site), a cell in the top layer
of skin (the epidermis). Melanocytes
make melanin (pronounced MEL-eh-nun), the pigment that gives skin its color.

Melanoma also can develop in other parts of the body, like the eyes, mouth, genitals,
and anal area.

What are the Signs & Symptoms of Melanoma?

Often, melanoma begins as a mole or a bump on the skin. It's important to know
if a mole has changed in size, shape, or color.

Keep this ABCDE rule in mind when checking moles:

A for asymmetry: If you were to cut the mole
down the middle, would the left and the right sides look different?

B for border: Are the edges blurry and undefined?
Does it look like it's spreading sideways?

C for color: Does the mole look darker or lighter
than usual, or does it have an area of new color — perhaps black, blue, purple,
red, or white?

D for diameter: Is the mole larger than the
eraser on a pencil top?

E for evolving: Has there been any change in
the size, shape, color, or elevation of the mole?

Melanoma most commonly develops on the trunk, head, and neck for guys, and the
lower legs for girls.

What Causes Melanoma?

One of the most important contributors to melanoma is ultraviolet (UV) sun damage.
Cells that have been damaged — particularly by short bouts of bad, blistering
sunburns during childhood or regular tanning bed use as a teen or young adult —
are more likely to become cancerous over time.

Sometimes melanoma begins in an area where there is no dark spot or bump.

Melanoma happens when melanocytes stop working normally. Because of a genetic change
(mutation), they begin growing out of control, sticking together to form tumors, crowding
out healthy cells, and damaging surrounding tissue.

Who Gets Melanoma?

Risk factors that can increase a person's chances of melanoma include:

having a relative with melanoma or a family history of oddly shaped moles

age (older people are at greater risk)

having had melanoma before

Though less likely, people can still get melanoma even if they're young, have no
family history of cancer, or have dark skin.

How Is Melanoma Diagnosed?

The doctor will do a biopsy, removing all or part of the
lesion (the affected area of skin) and look at its cells under a microscope. A biopsy
shows if the cells are cancerous. It can also show how deep they are in the skin,
which can help doctors predict the risk of the melanoma spreading.

How Is Melanoma Treated?

Melanoma treatment can include:

surgery to remove the cancerous lesion

chemotherapy: tumor-killing medicines
are given by mouth, through an injection (a shot), or intravenously (into a vein)

immunotherapy (biologic therapy):
when doctors stimulate the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells

The treatment chosen depends on:

how big and how deep the lesion is

what part of the body it is on

whether the cancer has spread

Can Melanoma Be Cured?

Melanoma that's caught early, when it's still on the surface of the skin, can be
cured.

Untreated melanoma can grow downward into the skin until it reaches the blood vessels
and lymphatic system. This lets it travel to distant organs, like the lungs or the
brain. That's why early detection is so important.

Can Melanoma Be Prevented?

You can't control how fair your skin is or whether you have a relative with cancerous
moles. But there are things you can do to lower your risk of developing melanoma.
The most important is limiting your exposure to the sun.

Take these precautions:

Avoid the strongest sun of the day — between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Use broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or more) whenever you're in the sun.

Wear a wide-brimmed hat and cover up with long, loose cotton clothing if you burn
easily.

Stay out of the tanning salon.
Even one indoor tanning session increases your risk of getting melanoma.

Also, be sure to check your moles often (you may need to ask a friend to help with
those hard-to-reach areas, like your back and scalp). Keep dated records of each mole's
location, size, shape, and color, and get anything suspicious checked out right away.

Not all skin cancer is melanoma, but every case of melanoma is serious. So now
that you know more about it, take responsibility for protecting yourself and do what
you can to lower your risk.